


A Friendly Date

by 4amtomorning, RonnieSilverlake



Series: Meteor Shower [3]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-20
Updated: 2013-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-05 08:04:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1091554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4amtomorning/pseuds/4amtomorning, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RonnieSilverlake/pseuds/RonnieSilverlake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin picks up Shiemi and takes her to the dance event, where they both enjoy themselves, albeit the dancing part ends up being a tad bit awkward. (Direct sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/533823">Think This Over, Idiot</a>.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friendly Date

By the time Yukio left for the dance, Rin was ready to leave as well. Though he originally would have had a bit more time, as Yukio needed to be there earlier than the actual start, Rin still had to keep to his promise and go pick Shiemi up. They could have met up at the location, but for some reason, Rin believed this was what he needed to do. It was how it was supposed to be done, even if she wasn’t his  _date_ in the conventional sense of the word.

Listening to his footsteps on the way, Rin wondered about the entire evening; how it would go. He sincerely hoped it would indeed be fun, as he had promised Shiemi. He also still wondered about Yukio, but he couldn’t do anything about that besides wait it out. He had gotten a promise, after all, and that was the best he could have right at this moment. He was still determined to make his brother have fun, despite everything else. Even if Yukio had claimed they both needed and deserved this evening, Rin still thought Yukio did much more than he himself.

The sun had long since disappeared behind the top chimney of the Academy on its way down when Rin finally arrived at the Exorcist shop, Tugging on his tie one last time, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. It was a strange feeling, being nervous while he was positive he had no reason to be nervous. There weren’t any misunderstandings between them, after all, were there? This was a friendly date…

… but, well, a date nonetheless.

And even if he only regarded her as a friend and nothing more for the time being, she was still a very important friend of his, one of the handful of people closest to Rin, who had always had trouble making any friends. The possibility of losing her for  _any_  reason was one Rin couldn’t even bear to think of, and, while it seemed highly unlikely to happen this evening, he still felt the need to make it as perfect for the both of them as it could get.

Yet another deep intake of breath — and then, he knocked.

* * *

Only moments before, Shiemi stood before her mirror, faced with the  _dilemma_  of the century. To wear the rose or not to wear the rose? …That was the question. 

Earlier in the day, she had seen a lot of girls take their roses and wear them in their hair or upon their clothing. Staring at it now, she just couldn’t bring herself to trim it down. In the span of time since receiving it, the petals had just fully opened, and it truly was a beautiful flower. Although she still wasn’t entirely sure she should’ve received it in the first place, the gesture itself still meant a lot to her. She would definitely keep it, in that case.  Placing the rose back into a small vase of water, the tamer instead opted for a rose shaped hairclip, adjusting it so it sat neatly in her hair.

With that taken care of, her eyes travelled down to inspect the rest of her outfit. The skirt Shura had loaned her was simple, black and falling just above her knees. It fit a little differently than the uniform skirt she was used to, but seeing as the redhead had been nice enough to let her borrow it, Shiemi felt it wasn’t her place to complain. After all, it wasn’t as though it was inappropriate.. just different. The top she had on was her own, a short-sleeved pink blouse purchased for her ages ago, that she’d never worn, until now. Tucked neatly into the skirt with a belt, everything just seemed…

Perfect. 

Though, when a heavy knock sounded at the door, her composure suddenly fell through. “J-just a minute!” She exclaimed, scrambling to grab her things.  _It’s just Rin…_   She reminded herself, reaching for the door handle. This was just a  _friendly_  date, and tonight was supposed to be fun. So… with a burst of courage, she pulled open the door and stepped outside. Shutting it firmly behind her, Shiemi finally glanced up at him, with the smallest of smiles in attempt to offset how nervous she truly felt.

“Hah, sorry about that… I’m ready now!”

* * *

Rin had to take yet another deep breath as he saw Shiemi exit the house right in front of him. She was the same Shiemi, and yet — somehow, everything seemed different right at that moment. He could see it in her smile that she was just as nervous as he himself was, and, for some mysterious reason, that expression was even more captivating than her appearance.

Even then, Rin didn’t really stop to question why he would feel that way. He merely smiled back at her, his own smile warm and reassuring, like his usual smiles — if anything, Rin was very good at hiding all his insecurities in order to steady his precious people. It wasn’t as if he didn’t trust her enough to let her know he was nervous — but what was the point, when she was nervous as well?

"Alright, let’s go, then!"

Thankfully, it was a clear night, even if it was pretty cold. Rin folded his fingers behind his head as they walked in silence, both fallen into their own thoughts. Occasionally, he glanced sideways at Shiemi, his smile widening a bit when she caught the look and responded with her own.

The entire thing just had a nice, content feeling to it, and as they went, the knot of anxiety in Rin’s stomach loosened with every step. It would really be fun, after all.

* * *

If the walk over was any consolation to how the rest of the night would go, Shiemi was sure everything was going to turn out just fine. The apprehension she had felt earlier was all but gone now, instead replaced by a growing feeling of excitement. Or perhaps, she was just feeding off of Rin, who seemed to be feeling the same. The way he kept smiling at her was comforting, yet contagious, in a sense. By the time they reached their destination, she couldn’t have wiped the expression off of her face if she tried.

And when they finally entered the room, Shiemi stopped dead in her tracks, green eyes growing wide as she looked from one end of the venue to the other. For a moment or so she just stood in silence. All of the decorations, the colors, the people… it was almost a little overwhelming, but in a good way.

“…Rin! Isn’t it beautiful?” She exclaimed, glancing over at him as she did so. Though, it wasn’t long before she turned back, attempting once more to take in everything there was to see. It almost felt like the day they had gone on the mission to the amusement park, but… this was different. she had been a _little_ familiar with what to expect there, but a dance? Not so much. This was a completely new experience for her. 

And to think, at one point she had considered not coming at all.

* * *

As Shiemi stopped, Rin came to a halt as well, taking in the appearance of the room together with the girl. It really did look nice, he had to admit — but somehow, Shiemi’s amazement drew Rin’s attention more. “It is,” he murmured a quick response, only to show he was paying attention, but then, as she continued looking around, taking everything in, Rin still couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

In all honesty, albeit Rin didn’t take time to explain to himself why, seeing that expression on Shiemi’s face made him more happy than the event itself. Even if it was decidedly the friendly sort of thing, she was a very important friend, and, for Rin, asking her out like that meant he had the responsibility of making her enjoy herself this evening; so, the fact that it seemed like she did enjoy herself made Rin enjoy it all the more.

For a couple more minutes, Rin just stood silently, letting Shiemi get accustomed to the entire thing — and then, he decided to be courageous, and turned to her, his smile widening. “Up for a dance with me, hm?”

* * *

Uninterrupted, Shiemi probably would’ve stood there a little longer, gaping at all of the sights. Though, when Rin’s voice reached her ears, her eyes trailed away from the decorations, and this time back toward the center of the room.  _A dance?_ The couples already out on the dance floor seemed to move effortlessly in tune to the music. To her, they certainly looked as though they were having fun, but—  It was then, that Shiemi realized something that she hadn’t even considered previously.

She didn’t know how to dance!  _….at all._

However, as she glanced back at Rin, dressed smartly in his suit and with that smile upon his face, there was no way she could’ve said anything but yes. Although he had made it clear to her from the beginning that this was meant to be a friendly outing, Shiemi silently reminded herself that he could have asked anyone else to come with him tonight, and yet…. for some reason he’d asked her.That simple thought seemed to resonate within her, and as nervous as the thought of dancing made her, she decided she would try her best, if only for him.

“O-of course!” She responded finally, pushing the slight nervousness she felt into the back of her mind.  ”Though… I’m not sure… well, I don’t really know how…. ” She admitted softly, a sheepish expression on her face.

* * *

Seeing that blush adorning Shiemi’s cheeks, Rin had to fight the urge to bite the inside of his mouth. Perhaps it was a bad idea, after all? It was strange, really, how confident and light-headed he was about this entire event, yet such an expression from her was enough to make him uncertain and nervous all over again. What if she said no…? It was the same as when he had given her the rose. Why was he so uncertain when it came to things concerning her, he couldn’t tell; he only knew that for a few seconds, he wanted to turn and run away, similarly to how he had done so after Shiemi left him on the stairs to get a white rose.

But then she replied, saying yes, and Rin took a deep breath, realizing for the millionth time that he was an idiot. She had said yes for the invitation, after all. And it was a dance event. So, surely, she had been expecting something like this…?

Then, as Shiemi finished speaking, he even got an answer for why she looked so uncertain about it, and Rin was suddenly amazed by the fact that even like that, she would say yes to him. His smile widening, he took her hand, pulling her towards the dance floor. “Just follow my steps,” he replied, sounding a lot more confident than he actually was. He wasn’t much of a dancer either, after all. But looking at other pairs, he thought it didn’t seem too difficult. And it wasn’t like anyone would be looking at them, either, right? It wasn’t a competition; they were supposed to enjoy themselves.

* * *

Just like that, with a smile and reassurance, Rin had made it seem as though it would be so simple. And, for that moment in time she believed him. However, as he led her through the other couples, she couldn’t help but take a sidelong glance at them. How were the other girls approaching this? Some were resting both arms around their date’s necks, others only on one shoulder, and some were….. well, Shiemi wasn’t doing  _that._

By the time Rin had come to a halt, she was already feeling nervous again. What was she supposed to do? As the hold on her hand loosened, she simply mimicked one of the other girls she’d seen and reached up to loosely drape her arms around his neck. This wasn’t so bad, in her mind it was more or less like she was giving him a hug…somewhat. Though, it was different from the time she’d hugged him like this in the rain. 

Standing as they were, her line of sight fell naturally onto his face, and for a moment or two she caught herself staring directly up at him. Not wanting to be questioned, she quickly glanced down at her feet instead, although they were more or less still standing still.  “Um…. I’ll try my best, not to step on you.” She murmured, though there was a hint of amusement in her voice. When in doubt, laugh at yourself.

* * *

Rin laughed silently as Shiemi spoke, now too caught up in the moment to notice how nervous she actually was. By the time they stopped on the dance floor, he had succeeded in convincing himself that everything would work out, and he was hanging onto that belief firmly enough not to let his resolve waver again.

As Shiemi wrapped her arms around his neck, he smiled to himself, and in turn, he put both his palms on her waist, just in time for the next song to start playing. He started moving, pulling herself along with him, and after a little bit of stumbling, they both managed to find a comfortable pace. Shiemi didn’t seem to be having too much trouble following his lead, despite her earlier concerns, and Rin soon found himself having stopped to pay attention to where he was stepping, and staring at her instead.

His smile softened upon noticing the blush creeping up her cheeks, yet he didn’t look away. He didn’t bother trying to explain anything to himself, or even just stopping to think about it to begin with, but tonight, in those clothes so unusual to her, and especially with that excited-happy gleam in her sapphire eyes, she was utterly  _captivating_.

* * *

As her nerves began to wear off,  Shiemi finally felt as though she didn’t have to stare at her feet to avoid treading on Rin. Still maintaining her hold on him, her eyes trailed away for a moment to observe the other going-ons of the event. The overall ambiance of the dance floor seemed to have calmed a little from when they had first walked out, a few of the other couples having left the floor to take a break. In a way, she couldn’t help but feel slightly more at ease now that it was less crowded.

And now, glancing back over at Rin, she was surprised to see that he was staring too… except directly at her. Shiemi only smiled in response, figuring he was watching to see if she was understanding the dance. Under normal circumstances she probably would’ve felt a little embarrassed, being observed like that. Yet, in stark contrast to the awkwardness of the rose exchange, dancing hadn’t been nearly as disastrous as she thought it might be. Of course, the fact that Rin was so understanding only made it that much easier.

“Rin! I ..think I have the hang of it now..” She admitted, meeting his gaze for just a moment, but not before narrowly missing his foot in the process of all this. “Eep,  …I’m sorry!” The apology was immediately blurted out, though tonight even her worry was unusually short-lived. At this point, all Shiemi could do was laugh softly, cheeks flushing a little. ” Or…I guess maybe I don’t…”

* * *

Rin felt a slight blush creeping up his cheeks as Shiemi called out to him — apparently, she believed he was watching her to make sure she was okay; and, quite honestly, that was a suitable excuse for him —, yet, he still didn’t look away. There just didn’t seem to be anything as interesting to look at, to put it simply.

"No, you’re doing fine," he replied reassuringly; by now, he didn’t even need to look down to readjust his step, and in a second, they were moving smoothly again, Rin’s smile widening as he continued to look at her. "See?"

Both of them kept silent for a while, and the song went on, not too soon after coming to an end. By that time, they had crossed the room, and were now almost completely against the wall when he finally let go of her hand, taking a deep breath. Well, this went better than he had been expecting, that was for sure. He was kind of proud of himself for not making an idiot out of himself.

"You know…" he started, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair somewhat awkwardly, "I forgot to tell you when I picked you up, but… you look really… pretty." Almost instantly, he felt colour flush his face, and he wished he hadn’t even opened his mouth. "I mean, not as if you aren’t otherwise! But… now… even more…"

… What was it about not making an idiot out of himself, again?

* * *

Settling with her back against the wall, Shiemi glanced off into the crowd. Earlier, she hadn’t even thought to see if she recognized anyone else who was there. After a minute or so of looking she thought perhaps she saw Izumo mingling amongst the other students. But before she could say anything, Rin’s voice immediately caught her attention and she turned back to him, smiling. 

Though as he continued to speak, the corners of her mouth drooped slightly and her eyes widened. Had he just said …she was pretty? That alone was enough to turn the girl’s face a shade of red, but as he went on to say that it wasn’t just now, but other times…  Did that mean he had always thought she was pretty? .. ~~Even that day she had forgotten her umbrella, stepped in that puddle, and had gotten completely soaked?~~  And now he thought she was even  _prettier_ than normal? What.

If it were at all possible, the girl’s ears would be fuming from the amount of thoughts running through her head.  Before she could analyze it any more, however, someone bumped into her from behind. Caught completely off guard, Shiemi stumbled forward, almost falling face first onto Rin though she managed to catch herself using the wall. Immediately pushing away, the girl had not only come to her senses, but now she looked absolutely flustered. ”A-ah, sorry about that! but…. ”  Oh  _right._   ”Thank you, Rin— “

And then, a little quieter. ”…Y-you look nice too!” Though, after saying that she seemed to have nearly the same reaction he did. “…but it’s not like you don’t… look nice all of the time either..? Um…”  And while Shiemi was being entirely truthful about the whole situation, she had somehow managed to fall into the exact same trap that he had.

* * *

As Shiemi’s mouth dropped open, there was one dreadful moment while Rin thought he had said something wrong. The way she was staring at him, so utterly flabbergasted, he just didn’t get it — what was wrong about complimenting her? But then the moment was gone as she stumbled forward, and even as he saw out of the corner of his eye that she managed to catch herself by the help of the wall, by that time, he had reached out instinctively to secure her, both his hands taking hold of her waist, only letting go a moment later, when he made sure she had regained her balance. And then she thanked him, and with that, the worry was gone in a moment.

As he listened to her return the compliment, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, Shiemi,” he replied warmly, in case she thought he was laughing at her, or something; but, in reality, he was laughing at both of them. It was so typical of him to mess up things like this, he knew, and yet somehow he always came out of them positive. Only now did he realize that it was probably thanks to Shiemi; she had always been understanding. Looking at it right now, somehow, Rin had the sneaking suspicion that perhaps she was doing it on purpose; making herself end up in a similar predicament so that Rin wouldn’t feel embarrassed about it, or something. He wouldn’t have put it past her, something like that. Come to think of it, Shiemi had never even laughed at him for anything before…

"I’m gonna go out a bit for some air," he declared after a few seconds of awkward silence. "Wanna come, or something?"

* * *

And in a similar fashion, Rin always seemed to bring the tamer back down to earth. Whatever situation they happened to find themselves in, leave it to him to divert the awkwardness in some way, even if he himself had been the start of it. Like now, when he laughed and proceeded to thank her, Shiemi couldn’t help but chuckle a little herself. Even now, she could tell he wasn’t making fun  _of_ her, even though she knew she was the one who was being a little silly. If she hadn’t been worrying so much about what he may have meant, she wouldn’t have almost fallen on her face a few seconds ago.

Feeling less flustered now, it was much easier to see it for what it was; just a compliment. Though, she wasn’t sure if coming to that realization made her feel better or worse about it. Perhaps it was just the atmosphere of the event, but Shiemi wondered if it was really so terrible of her to be a little curious.. Although, inwardly she knew he couldn’t have meant it quite like that, not in the sense she was thinking. 

As if on cue, Rin’s voice seemed to cut through the depths of her mind. And for the moment, the issue was forgotten as she tried to recall what he’d just said.

“Air? O-oh, sure!  ..it is getting kind of stuffy in here.” She said, stepping away from the wall a bit to follow him as he led the way.

* * *

Leading Shiemi through the crowd, then out the front doors into the cool night, Rin’s thoughts started to mix together in his head. He was enjoying himself, yes, and he was happy Shiemi seemed to be as well, but the atmosphere was just so different from what they usually met in, especially after the morning’s happenings, with this entire event. It was strange; she didn’t really act any different from how she usually acted, and yet he couldn’t help but view her in a different light, one he just couldn’t wrap his head around, no matter how hard he tried.

He stopped on top of the stone stairs, taking a deep breath of the cold night air. It was pitch black outside, save for the light filtering through the great windows of the event hall. The shadows danced on Shiemi’s face as she stopped beside him, just like how the rest of the pairs were dancing inside meanwhile. But right at this moment, Rin didn’t think of anyone else.  _You look pretty,_  was what he had told her, but in reality, she was more than just that; she was beautiful, and Rin wasn’t sure why he couldn’t just tell that to her. There just weren’t words in his mind at this very moment for it.

He only turned his head away a few moments later, when he realized he had probably been staring at her. Even while he had decided to simply enjoy himself tonight, he found his head full of confusing thoughts again and again. What was wrong with him, really? He only hoped Shiemi wouldn’t notice, or misunderstand…


End file.
